Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is abusing her franking privilege to campaign for the 2024 election and is failing to protect District 3 residents from criminal elements entering the U.S. through open borders.
The franking privilege authorizes Congress to send mail pertaining only to the “official business, duties, and activities of (her) office.” Since Marie is a new freshman, she may likely be ignorant of our country’s laws, however, she is using our taxpayer dollars to pay for her campaign mailers, and that is unacceptable.
Not only is she already having taxpayers foot the bill for her campaign, but she voted against keeping our borders secure and protecting U.S. citizens. Only an out-of-touch politician would vote against the Secure the Border Act of 2023, which has indeed passed the House, no thanks to Marie’s nay vote. This Secure the Border Act requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume activities to construct a wall along the United States-Mexico border, provides statutory authorization for Operation Stonegarden — which provides grants to law enforcement agencies for certain border security operations — prohibits DHS from processing the entry of non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) arriving between ports of entry and limits asylum eligibility to non-U.S. nationals who arrive in the United States at a port of entry.
It also authorizes the removal of a non-U.S. national to a country other than that individual’s country of nationality or last lawful habitual residence, whereas currently, this type of removal may only be to a country that has an agreement with the United States for such removal. It expands the types of crimes that may make an individual ineligible for asylum, such as a conviction for driving while intoxicated causing another person’s serious bodily injury or death, authorizes DHS to suspend the introduction of certain non-U.S. nationals at an international border if DHS determines that the suspension is necessary to achieve operational control of that border, prohibits states from imposing licensing requirements on immigration detention facilities used to detain minors, authorizes immigration officers to permit an unaccompanied alien child to withdraw their application for admission into the United States even if the child is unable to make an independent decision to withdraw the application, imposes additional penalties for overstaying a visa, and requires DHS to create an electronic employment eligibility confirmation system modeled after the E-Verify system and requires all employers to use the system.
Why did Marie vote against this righteous bill? I wish my congressperson would stop abusing franking privileges and instead vote to protect American citizens, secure U.S. borders, and stop child trafficking.
Joanne Temple,
Vancouver
